By Maxwell Iskiev

Marketers and third-party cookies — can you name a better combo?

A few years ago, you really couldn’t. But with Google phasing out third-party cookies in 2024, marketers are busy searching for new strategies to collect user data.

While 2024 might seem far down the road, over half of marketers say their company is already exploring alternative targeting solutions.

And that isn’t surprising, because 85% of marketers say their marketing activities are reliant on third-party cookies to some degree, and 77% say Google phasing out third-party cookies will make marketing more difficult for them.

So let’s look into exactly which solutions marketers are turning towards as a replacement for third-party cookies and the unexpected impact it has on marketing budgets.

Which Third-Party Targeting Alternatives Are Marketers Exploring

Of the 54% of marketers who say their company is exploring alternative targeting solutions, more than half are looking into using social media for targeted ads as a replacement for third-party cookies. Collecting first-party data from their customers is another top strategy, as is Google Topics API.

Let’s take a quick look at each of these.

Using Social Media for Targeted Ads

Social media offer advanced targeting tools to get your ads in front of your target audience.

With the rise in popularity of social shopping, tapping into platforms like Instagram is a powerful way to reach consumers – especially Gen Z and Millennials:

Collecting First-Party Data from Your Customers

First-party data is collected directly from your customers, but how exactly do you get it and what do you do once you have it?

First-party data can be collected from many sources – your website, surveys, email, SMS, a CRM like HubSpot, and more.

Once you have first-party data, use it to gain high-quality insights about your audience and create a personalized experience for them.

Considering over half of marketers don’t know basic demographic information on their target audience, among other critical data points, shifting to a first-party approach may end up working to your benefit.

Google Topics API (Privacy Sandbox)

Though not released to the public yet, more than half of marketers looking for alternatives to third-party cookies are checking out Google Topics API. In a nutshell, it will categorize the sites people visit into various topics. Those categories are then used to show relevant ads.

For example, someone who often visits websites related to sports might be shown an ad for a live sports streaming service, all without info on the specific site they visited being tracked and shared with advertisers. Users can also control which topics they are associated with.

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Source:: HubSpot Blog

Author: Aaron